A new graphic novel titled “442” is written by Koji Steven Sakai and Phinneas Kiyomura, whose families were imprisoned in the U.S. World War II internment camps for Japanese Americans. The novel is illustrated by Rob Sato, whose family was also in the camps and whose grandfather, Roy Sato, served in the U.S. Army’s segregated Japanese-American 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

One of the saddest chapters in American history, as well as one of the most inspiring, is the Japanese-American experience during World War II — sad because of the terrible thing that was done to them and inspiring because of the way they responded to it.

On Feb. 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the notorious Executive Order 9066, ordering the roundup of Japanese Americans on the West Coast and their incarceration in prison camps for the war’s duration. Some of the victims fought back, but always within the law. One brave man named Fred Korematsu sued the government in a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court, which unfortunately upheld the incarcerations even though it admitted they were unconstitutional.

Others responded in a different way: They volunteered to fight for this country, despite what it had done to them and their families. Thus was born the U.S. Army’s 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated Japanese-American unit (commanded by white officers, of course). They were fighting two wars: one in Europe and one back here at home.

“We wanted to defend our country,” the late 442 veteran Ted Masaoka once told me, “but we also wanted to prove we were just-as-good Americans as anyone else.”

As it turned out, they weren’t just as good. They were better. The 442nd became the most decorated military unit in U.S. history. About 14,000 men — boys, really — were awarded 9,486 Purple Hearts, 24 Medals of Honor and eight Presidential Citations. How’s that for returning good for evil?

It’s a story that deserves to be told over and over again. And now there’s a graphic novel titled simply “442” that’s written by Koji Steven Sakai and Phinneas Kiyomura, whose families were imprisoned in the camps, and illustrated by Rob Sato, whose family was also in the camps and whose grandfather, Roy Sato, served in the 442.

“He was pretty modest about the whole thing and downplayed it pretty much whenever he could,” says Rob.

“442” tells its tale through the eyes of young man named Hiro, as he survives the incarceration and fights in the 442. He’s a fictional character, but all the stories in the book are real.

“It’s such a big story, we combined the experiences of a lot of people we interviewed and found in our research,” says Phinny.

The stories are gripping, and so are Rob’s full-color illustrations, which are works of art in themselves — so much so that the Oakland Asian Cultural Center at 388 9th St. is hosting an exhibit of his original artwork for the book from now through the end of the month. For all three of them, creating “442” has been a voyage of discovery as they learned how heroic their forebears were, in the camps and in the Army.

“All my life I’ve questioned whether or not I could have endured the injustice of the incarceration the way my great grandparents did,” says Rob, “or if I could have joined the 442nd, like my grandfather, who fought for the country that put my family in prison because of their race.”

“These soldiers risked everything — most importantly, their lives — so that my family’s loyalty would never be questioned,” adds Koji. “I’ve made it my life’s work to make sure people honor and remember their many sacrifices.”